The Cross & the Sword

Transcription

1 The Cross & the Sword The monthly newsletter of Saint Alban s Parish Family Vol. XXXVI No. 7 July Now the Lord [a] is the Spirit, and where the Spirit of the Lord is, there is freedom. 2 Corinthians 3:17

2 Vol. XXXV No.7 July 2018 Pilgrimage to London Blessed are those whose strength is in you, whose hearts are set on pilgrimage. (Psalm 84:5) A pilgrimage is more than just a trip or vacation. A pilgrimage is a journey. A special journey on which you learn and transform along the way to a special, powerful place often of great religious significance. Pilgrimage can also be a way of mission, as mission work is more about connecting with others outside of your community to share in the reconciling mission of the church. On July 23rd a group of youth and adults will begin the travel portion of a pilgrimage to London and the original Saint Alban s. We have been preparing for this for the entire year. In ancient times, people were transformed by each physical step they prayerfully took on pilgrimage. Nowadays, the physical travel (although still challenging) is not as central to the pilgrimage. A pilgrimage today is more about the prayerful learning done before and while on pilgrimage. Throughout this past year, each of the pilgrims and many others have participated in our monthly pilgrimage class titled, Our Christian Roots in England. As we all know, the Episcopal Church originates from the Church of England. We have studied the murder of Thomas Becket, The English Reformation, the English Civil war, English mystics, and more modern history and culture. Our goal is to learn about the culture from which we have come. The central question I have asked is, Where is God s will in our lives? Is it to be found in a divine right ruling monarch? Is it to be found in the church? Under whose authority and guidance? Is it to be found in the will of the people? English and British history offer an incredible glimpse into how that very issue was mightily struggled with between Kings and Queens, Popes in Rome, Archbishops in Canterbury, and the people. As Americans we tend to automatically think that God s will and authority are to be found in the collective will of the people (although many may be starting to question that). That, however, is a 1

3 fairly modern way of thinking. Thus, our pilgrimage to London and Saint Albans has hopefully profoundly influenced our understanding of God in our lives. Further, it hopefully has educated many about the incredible roots from which we have come to understand God through Jesus Christ our Lord. Our trip will have many pilgrimage destinations. We are to celebrate Holy Communion and get a special tour of Westminster Abbey. We will worship on Sunday and eat with some youth from the original Cathedral of Saint Alban. We will also see the Tower of London, Buckingham Palace, the Globe, and many other sites. We also have planned many other fun activities like a play on Friday night, a bus ghost tour, and of course seeing the places that Harry Potter made famous. So please keep us in your thoughts and prayers as we travel, and also take a pilgrimage into your heart to explore your Christian roots and God s will in your life. God bless and Cheers! Dan + Dan+ s Sabbatical in August During the month of August, Dan+ will be on sabbatical. The focus of the sabbatical is some simple, but hopefully profound spiritual walking and hiking. It will also be a time of relaxation and refreshment. During this time, Saint Albans will be surrounded by the great support of many clergy. On Sunday July 29th Bishop Sparks will be here to preach and celebrate. Sunday August 5th and 19th we will welcome the Reverend Kathy Thomas (retired rector of Grace) to preach and celebrate. On Sunday August 12th and 26th Deacon Sandy will lead us through morning prayer and preach. Pastoral coverage will be handled by the clergy of Trinity. Deacon Gordon Samra, Reverend Paul Grieve, and Reverend T.J. Freeman will be on call for any emergency pastoral concerns. If you are in need of pastoral care during this time, then please contact Debbie in the office ( ), Senior Warden Cindy Spice ( ), or Junior Warden John Lorenzen ), and they will know how to find a clergy person to help. Also, please know that Judy Wall will still be working hard with our Care Connections ministry. So please keep Dan+ in your thoughts and prayers during his sabbatical time. 2

4 Each one should use whatever gift he has received to serve others, faithfully administering God s grace in its various forms. 1 Peter 4:10 With so many depressing things going on in the world right now I have decided to highlight an individual or a group in our church family every month to give us all something positive to talk about. With that being said this month I would like to bring everyone s attention to one of our newly baptized parishioners, Kenny White. He has really taken the above verse to heart. As most of you know, Dave and Mary Ann Krocker are moving to Canada. Dave was very diligent about taking care of our property which included the outside grounds. This alone is a huge undertaking since it has been an ongoing struggle over the last several years. Dave made a suggestion to the vestry at his last meeting that we take the property responsibility and split it up into several different jobs. Kenny caught wind of this idea and ran with it. He decided to take over the upkeep of our landscaping. He has been tirelessly working on the gardens for a little over a month now and you can really tell the difference. He can be spotted several times a week pulling weeds and watering the plants not to mention filling in all the holes in the mulch. I would like him to know that I really appreciate his determination and care when it comes to the outside of our building. First impressions are everything and now I feel confident that this experience will be great for any potential new members checking us out. Please join me in letting Kenny know how much we value his efforts. Cindy Spice Senior Warden New Cross and Sword policy In order to cut down on office costs, the vestry has decided to cut way back on mailing out hard copies of the Cross and Sword. Currently, we have a list of people who receive the monthly newsletter by , and another list for those who receive it by regular mail. The postage to send out hard copies of the Cross and Sword in this way is significant. Therefore, starting in August we will distribute the Cross and Sword in the following ways. First, by posting it on our website for any to read. Second, by way of , expanding our list to 3

5 include those who have received hard copies in the mail. Third, by putting out a few hard copies in the narthex. Fourth, by sending out only a very few hard copies to those on our shut-in lists. As I am sure you can appreciate, this new process will really cut down on our postage costs and the labor it takes to distribute our monthly newsletter. Don t forget automatic payments are a possibility During the month of May, our income was significantly low. May is a busy time of the year for most, then again when is not busy? It can become very easy to forget to bring to church our monthly or weekly giving. One way to avoid this is to set-up with your bank an automatic payment to the Church. Many checking accounts now offer ways that bills and other things can be set-up to be paid automatically. It is often called automatic bill pay. You simply find out if this is an option from your account, and then ask your bank to automatically send a check once a week or month, in an amount you desire, to the church. They will then mail us a check from your account and all you need to do is watch over your bank account, however you do this. The church will then be able to credit your giving when we receive the check from your bank, and it will show on your next giving statement from us. It s really simple. 4

6 July Activities Wednesday Bible Group meets weekly at 10:30 a.m. on Wednesday mornings to study the readings for the upcoming Sundays. Wednesday worship services will not be held on July 25 th. Women s Bible Study and Fellowship meets at 2:00-4:00 on Thursday, July 12 and 26, at the home of Marilyn Rafter. Men s Bible Study meets at 10:00 a.m. on Saturdays in the parish hall. This group looks at the lessons for the following Sunday. Bible Study and Fellowship will not meet this month. Men s Night Out will meet Thursday, July 5 location to follow. The Lunch Bunch meets on Tuesday, July 10th, at Hall s on the Deck, 305 E. Superior Street, at 11:00 AM. Please sign the poster in the narthex and indicate whether you wish to have a ride and carpool from the church or will go directly. If you have any questions or need to cancel, please see Anita at church or call her at Hope to see you there! Daughters of the King will meet Tuesday, July 17 th, and August 20 th at 10:00 am. This is due to meeting cancelled earlier in the year. 5

7 Outreach GARAGE SALE As you all know, the garage sale for 2018 is now behind us. God blessed us with a tremendous sale. It was held May 31, June 1, and June 2. We brought in $1011 for the general fund. The weather was cooperative for the most part. It rained on Thursday and Friday afternoon, which resulted in shorter days. This was the second annual garage sale held to raise funds for St. Albans. We had a large variety of items to sell. We had clothes, shoes, cd's, dvd's, books, tools, sporting goods, children s items, and various religious items. The garage sales started in 2017 as a fund raiser for the food bank and in 2018 it was a fund raiser for the general fund. Lastly, a big thank you goes to St. Albans family for your support, prayers, donations, stopping by, and keeping us in your thoughts. Phil Mayer, Outreach Chairman Food Bank In May we served (77 Individuals, 21 families, and 1155 meals) The deadline for the August issue of The Cross and the Sword is Thursday, July 18 6

8 Operating income for May $ 7, Operating expense for May 13, Transfers Net loss for May $ (6,234.30) Vestry Stewardship Operating Fund Operating income for 2018 $63, Operating expense for , Transfers for , Net loss for 2018 ($2,020.46) Vestry Highlights At the regular meeting of the Vestry on June 19, it was moved a) to approve Judy Wall s application to the diocese to be a lay Eucharistic visitor. b) to post only items from The Episcopal Church, The Diocese of Northern Indiana, other organizations directly affiliated with the church on social media and per rector s approval. c) to donate $ to Hope for Jesus in Honduras, $ to Associated Churches and $360 to Madina Village School in Sierra Leone out of Outreach program. - d) to have Norm sell St. Alban s shirts with the new logo. e) to accept the quote of $ to replace the smoke detectors. it was noted that a) the general convention for the Episcopal church will be held in Austin, Texas during July. b) That the grant for the playground was still in process at the time of the meeting, but since then has been approved. c) There will be a music meeting after church on Sunday, July 15 th. d) in order to save office costs starting in August we will no longer mail out hard copies of The Cross and Sword except to a very few shut-ins. A few hard copies will be made available at church. Also different ways to streamline the bulletin printing process are being explored. 7

9 6 Tammy Gillig 7 Paul Barker 9 Marilyn Crewe 9 Melissa Townsend 14 Paula Hanlin 17 Robert Frede II 18 Neal Birchfield July Birthdays 19 Cayley Townsend 20 John Naunas 22 Carlen Trujillo 25 Patricia Hummel 27 Kenny White 29 John Lorenzen 31 Bonnie Camp and Anniversaries 9 John & Susan Diver 11 Dick & Sandy Ritchie 16 Todd & Melissa Townsend If your birthday or anniversary has not been listed, please notify Debbie at , so that we may add your date to our records. Peggy & Ray Brandes Glen & Carolyn Grate Dick Camp Shirley Johnson John Diver, Sr. Pat MacWhorter Dick Donnelly Carol Newell Jacob Fazzaro Cindy Spice Denise Frede Rick Spice Tammy Gillig AltaLee Stellhorn Bill & Carolyn Townsend Steve and Vickie Faux, 307 Thoroughbred Lane Auburn IN Don Mefford Legacy Willow Bend, 6101 Ohio Drive, Plano, Texas

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11 ST. ALBAN'S EPISCOPAL CHURCH Sunday Services 8:00 a.m. Holy Eucharist 10:15 a.m. Holy Eucharist Sunday School (Sept-May) Wednesday 10:30 a.m. Bible Study 12:00 noon Holy Eucharist Vestry Cindy Spice Senior Warden John Lorenzen Junior Warden Norm Grams Property Tammy Gillig Fellowship Pat Stath Worship Josh Miller Finance Jordan Trendelman Membership Stewardship Phil Mayer Outreach Megan Spice-Freed Christian Formation Judy Wall Care Connection Christina Connelly Communication Director Church Staff Rector The Rev. Daniel K. Layden Office Administrator Debbie Grosjean Organist Michelle Kyrou Office Hours 9:00-1:00 Monday through Friday Office phone Fr. Layden s cell phone